


Son of The King

by CastielsProfoundBees



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Fitzroy realizing Good Castle is real, Hurt/Comfort, Not beta'd we die like men, Self Confidence Issues, Taz Graduation, The Adventure Zone: Graduation: Episode 28, alright so far we've got the:, can you tell I have a favorite?, mostly just the boys comforting Fitzroy, sylvia nite incident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:54:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielsProfoundBees/pseuds/CastielsProfoundBees
Summary: A swell of energy fills him. Something bitter and erratic, he stands taller as his classmates look on with surprise. Yes, he thought, looking at them gape. Look at me. I’m doing it. A grin spreads on his face and his eyes narrow.He wasn't a bad person - he wasn't.-Character study stuff! Chapters as follows:1. The Sylvia Nite incident2. Directly after the incident3. Right after Fitzroy loses his magic4. Right after Fitzroy learns Goodcastle is real (New!)
Relationships: Master Firbolg & Argo Keene & Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Sylvia Nite

Fitzroy gripped the sides of the porcelain sink tightly as he stared himself down in the mirror. His knuckles turned white and below him his foot tapped a nervous rhythm. This couldn’t be happening, he thought to himself, it was impossible. There must be a mistake, there had to be.

He wasn’t a bad person, was he? He wasn’t suited for the Villain Track. Was it too late to transfer back to Clyde Nite’s Night Knight School? Could he go home? He gritted his teeth at the thought. No, he couldn’t. He had something to prove, a future waiting for him that he knew he was destined for. People would know his name and respect him; finally. Then why? He wasn’t a bad person. He wasn’t.

Unless...

_There’s some laughter to Fitzroy’s right. He folds into himself a little, pulls his cloak a little tighter. They weren’t laughing at him, right? His nails tear into the insides of his palm as he tightens them._

_“_ _Alright, Maplecourt. You’re up next.”_

_His head snaps up and his brows furrow. He can do this._

_T_ _he goal is simple. The class is outside for defense training, learning how to use weapons as a defense without escalating a scenario. All very important for a knight, Fitzroy thought. All he had to do was deflect a prestidigitation spell, a beginner move. He can do this. Straightening his posture and smoothing his cloak back out, he watches as his instructor eyes him. She nods and raises her hand beginning the incantation._

_Fitzroy moves to follow and instead a swell of energy fills him. Something bitter and erratic, he stands taller as his classmates look on with surprise. Yes, he thought, looking at them gape. Look at me. I’m doing it. A grin spreads on his face and his eyes narrow._

_Then the crowd erupts into audible frightened gasps. What?_

_His head snaps back to face his instructor, or what was his instructor. Standing before him, below him actually, is a catfish. A catfish. Right where his instructor was. He feels his eyes widen and he staggers back as he himself gasps slightly. There are whispers surrounding him, the class has come to form a circle around him. They glance around trying to figure out what’s going on. This can’t be happening, surely I didn’t do that, he reasoned. What other option was there though? This wasn’t the first time his nerves had gotten the better of him, something weird always followed. One time he could have sworn he teleported twenty feet away. It was weird, which is why he didn’t tell anyone. Knights don’t use magic, and he didn’t want to either._

_His classmates look up at him with wide eyes. He realizes faintly that they’re afraid of him. That perhaps what he’s done (did he actually do that?) will also happen to them. In the back of his mind he knows that their fear is not good. He knows that, he does. But, they’re still looking at him. They aren’t laughing anymore, they’re watching. They may not respect him, but fear and respect can be synonymous. Right? The hysteria builds and the tension grows. A grin escapes his face and he laughs quietly, his eyes begin to water. The other students begin to take a step back, one running to get a professor and others avoiding his eye contact all together._

_They fear me, he realizes, and I’m okay with that. I - maybe - enjoy that._


	2. Some Credits

Fitzroy remembers the days after the Sylvia Nite incident as if they happened in a dream. One thing bled into another, from one moment into the next like water into a glass column. He sat bouncing his knee while the counselor flipped through her notes across the table. 

“What do I do now?” He had asked. 

She pursed her lips and seemed to contemplate his question. He had just been informed of his “termination” from the Knight program. His stomach rolled, he thought he was going to be sick. He had no where else to go, no other aspiration to attempt. It just wasn’t fair - why wasn’t it _fair_? 

The tips of his fingers joined in tandem with his knee, as if to shuffle out the nervous energy like cards. 

“Well, we should be able to transfer some of your credits to Higglemas Wigenstaff’s School.”

He looked at her incredulously, “some?”

The counselor nodded while flipping through her notes. Fitzroy couldn’t remember her name, or really her appearance. He remembers she was nice though, she never looked at him any different. 

She pulled out a form from her notes, indicating what credits went where. She pointed to them with the end of her quarterstaff as she explained. 

“So, the Wiggenstaff’s school is associated with the Heroic Oversight Guild, and the Knight program is not. We can transfer some general credits over, but most are just not applicable.”

“Oh.” 

He looked down to his feet, now having resumed their tapping, and his vision blurred. His face felt hot with humility, frustrated at his own failings. He wasn’t supposed to have magic, not with his heritage. He could hear the ringing disappointment from his parents, but mostly from himself. It’s difficult when you set the bar so high for yourself, only to fall short. He could write a biography on it now. 

Move away from home, make new friends, be _cool_ , and finally be a knight. A respectable career, a humble doing. He didn’t know what he was going to do now. But, now that his academic career as a knight is over, he can’t quite remember what it was that drew him in anyway. Perhaps it was to prove himself capable of something else, something more than the unexplainable chaos that followed him. 

He was apparently wrong. Sylvia Nite is proof.

“Fitz, look at it this way,” the counselor spoke up, “Wiggenstaff’s is a good school. I know a lot of people who went there. I think you’d make an excellent Hero, or even a Villain or sidekick. Don’t think of it as a second choice.” 

He nodded, but it was evident in his furrowed brow that he didn’t agree. He would get through this or die trying. 

She pulled out a form, “I just need you to sign here and here, and then we can send you on your way.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> Here's the second part to the character study. I told you they weren't very long lol. I'm super excited with the direction Travis is taking the show, so I'm sure I'll be inspired to write more! 
> 
> Stay safe, and go vote!


	3. Like Maple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A gentle vibration that has been Fitzroy's accompaniment since the Sylvia Nite incident wades like the ocean and then suddenly is gone. He pulls his arms up to look on as blue beams separate themselves and gather toward Order’s hand. 
> 
> Fitzroy blanches, “shit.” 
> 
> He flexes his hand and focuses on sparks of light. Nothing happens. 
> 
> He tries again and nothing happens.

It’s like drawing sap from a maple tree. Slow at first, but all too soon there’s none left. Flecks of blue light break off of Fitzroy like the matter that composes him is in itself falling apart. A gentle vibration that has been his accompaniment since the Sylvia Nite incident wades like the ocean and then suddenly is gone. He pulls his arms up to look on as blue beams separate themselves and gather toward Order’s hand. His eyes widen once he realizes what’s happening, at what he’s losing. His surroundings grow more quiet.

Fitzroy blanches, “shit.” 

He flexes his hand and focuses on sparks of light. Nothing happens. 

He tries again and nothing happens. 

“Y-you dick! I-” 

The Thundermen find themselves back where they started, or where they should have started. The abyss that was once the Godstar Chasm is now sealed as though never existing. The trio come to at the same time, lying on their backs and scattered a few feet away from one another. The sun is overhead and the sky is clear. 

Fitzroy sits upright before the others, holding his hands out and inspecting them. He opens his palm to produce Snippers, but nothing happens. He shoots to his feet and stomps, thinking of thunder, but nothing happens. 

“No, no, no _ nono  _ this can’t be happening.” 

Argo sees the distress from a few feet away. Fitzroy has abandoned his attempt at conjuring spells and is now pacing furiously. He’s speaking to himself, but Argo doesn’t know what he’s saying. Argo turns his attention to the Firebolg, sitting upright to the left of him, and finds him staring too. It’s no doubt, not in Fitzroy’s mind, that they’re having the same thoughts. 

If he’s not a knight and he’s not a wizard, he’s not rich and he’s not popular, he’s not good and he’s not bad, then  _ what. is. left.?  _ In his own eyes, he was officially useless. The weak link, the last chain: broken. 

It’s Argo who makes the first move over to him, and naturally the Firebolg follows. 

“Fitz, are you, are ya gonna be alright?”

Fitzroy doesn’t answer except to make eye contact with the two, then sitting back down on the grass. He looks forlorn and smaller than his height should dictate. He brings a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. 

Master Firebolg sits next to him and places a palm on Fitzroy’s shoulder. 

“I am sorry. We vill fix this.”

Fitzroy nods, but doesn’t bring his head up to fully address them. 

Shuffling his feet awkwardly Argo finally pauses and sits next to the pair. 

“May I propose- fellas, that we, uh, take this back to the dorm?” 

__

It’s later that night before they make it back to the dorm. They stop first for an emergency meeting with the Unbroken Chain, only to come to the conclusion that they should be largely kept in the dark. When they open the door to their quarters, stumbling in and peeling off their still dawned climbing gear, Fitzroy has returned to his sullen attitude. 

“Well, Thundermen, let’s call this a job well done. I’m taking the next day off,” Fitzroy proposes flippantly. 

“Are ya sure? If ya need someone to talk t-,” Argo starts to rebuttal.

“No. No, I’d rather not.” 

Seeing company isn’t wanted, Argo begins to head back to he and the Firebolg’s respective quarters, leaving one last glance at Fitzroy. Master Firebolg places one last hand on his shoulder and does the same. 

Finally alone, Fitzroy sits on the edge of his bed. Lowers his head to rest in waiting open palms. He should go see Festo, but they’re probably out. It just isn’t fair, nothing has been. Maybe he should write to his mother, but he can’t remember the last time they spoke. Even if he could, he doesn’t know what he would tell her. That his life is turning into a tragic comedy? Don’t be so dramatic. 

The silence is overwhelming, he hadn’t realized how loud magic was until it was gone. Before he knows it an hour has gone by. The lamp light under the door separating the other boys has gone dark and if Fitzroy focuses he can hear the deep snore of Master Firebolg. He wants to reach out, but he doesn’t know how. That’s never been one of his strong suits, reaching out. He’s just so much better at closing off and covering up. Even in Nite’s Night Knight School he wouldn’t let the other kids near. He’s starting to notice a pattern, with the only commonality being himself. 

A knock sounds at their joint door.

It opens tentatively to reveal none other than Argo. 

“I noticed ya never turned the lamp off. Thought I’d come and, uh, check on ya.” 

Fitzroy nods, “I’m alright.” 

This results in a quirk of the brow and soon Argo is coming to sit next to Fitzroy. They sit in silence for a moment, with Fitzroy giving his eye contact to the stone floor and Argo looking straight ahead. 

“Ya know. When my ma died, I thought I had nothing left. I guess I had, unknowingly, tied my worth to her, and without her I was lost.” 

Fitzroy raises his head to look at Argo, “you don’t have to do this. Compare the two.” 

Argo shakes his head, “No, I do, I do. I  _ want _ to. Um, anyway, those next few years were hard. I wasn’t very old y’know? But I found myself wanting to, well, get revenge I guess.”

Fitzroy nods. 

“I felt bad about it though, thought it made me a bad person.” 

Argo fumbles with his words a little more, still looking ahead, but finally returns his gaze back to Fitzroy. 

“I guess, what I’m trying to say is, it’s not your fault. Your feelings don’t make you a bad person, it’s what you do with them that matters. I came to this school for payback, but I’ve found worth in other things. In you guys, I guess. I want ya to feel that too.” 

When Argo’s done, Fitzroy leans his head on Argo's shoulder. For support yes, but it also prevents Argo from seeing his eyes water. 

He brings his hand to scrub at them, “I just don’t know what to do. This is all I had.” 

“Well, Fitz, we’re not just friends because of your magic.”

Fitzroy gives a watery chuckle, “was it my incredible wit or my dashing looks then?” 

“It’s because of your kindness. You hide a lot under that fancy robe of yours, but you’ve only ever been kind to us. That’s who you are.” 

There’s another pause, but it’s companionable. Fitzroy remembers moments like this with his mother, when they spoke anyway. Leaning his head on her shoulder as she consoled him. It’s comforting in a way, just having someone be with you. He wishes he had something like this in Knight School, wishes he could reach back in time to his past. Shake his younger self and tell him things would get better, the war notwithstanding. 

“Thank you, I appreciate it, Argo” Fitzroy admits. 

Argo nods. “I’m only telling ya the truth,” he pauses “you know we’ll get him right? And your magic?” 

Fitzroy only nods, but to be honest he’s not quite sure. He’s just glad to have friends to support him no matter what. Even if they lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Just more fun character study stuff. I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone write about Ep 28 yet, I mean, like c'mon. Since no one else was going to write something, I guess I would lol. Anyway, this chapter didn't go like I had planned lol, but oh, well. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope everyone is staying safe!


	4. Reflections

Fitzroy doesn't sleep.

His mattress becomes the victim of endless tossing and turning. If he twists the right way he can even see the sliver of candle light beneath Argo and the Firbolg’s joint bedroom. The light seeps into his quarters and reflects light onto his book bag and other belongings. It’s no doubt they were both fast asleep, and if he stilled long enough he could hear the easy whisper of the Firbolg’s snores.

But his thoughts wouldn’t still like theirs. In the dark he hears his full title spoken in the lilting voice of Sir Regenald:

_ Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt, Knight in Absentia of Goodcastle _ . 

They were  _ real _ . And they were here to  _ help _ . 

Fitzroy rolled over again, turning away from the light. Getting back into the castle hadn’t been an easy task, and for the moment, the brief seconds of reprieve Fitzroy got, he didn’t want to think about it. He just wanted to relish in the fact that he was  _ right _ . 

So, why wasn’t he happy? 

_

He recalls the walk to their dormitory after banishing Order and Chaos. Behind them Fitzroy could hear the tottering of Sir Regenald’s horse following them. He was tempted to turn around and stare, to pinch himself, or have someone search his mind. Maybe he was being controlled or manipulated, maybe this was too good to be true. 

It was always too good. 

He felt the sudden urge to cry, but wasn’t sure why. Nothing came. 

He tossed his covers to the side and stepped off of his bed. It creaked under his weight as he moved, a reminder of how much he had grown, how much stronger he was now. No longer just a boy, but not quite a man. 

He gently pushed forward Argo and the Firbolg’s door. The Firbolg lay on the floor, one arm slung across his eyes and the other sprawled on the ground, unsurprisingly asleep. However, Argo sat upright in his bed, a candle resting by the foot and an open book on his lap. 

Fitzroy leans on the door frame, “can’t sleep?”

Argo blinks, surprised. “You too?” He answers with a question. 

Fitzroy shakes his head as he walks into the room properly to sit next to Argo. He doesn’t say anything and Argo doesn’t force him to. He’s silently glad they’ve come to that point in their friendship, where they can just enjoy their presence. 

The apparently  _ not  _ asleep Firbolg lets out an annoyed groan, “It is late, is it not?” He mumbles into his arm.

Fitzroy and Argo laugh at the same time. “We can leave if ya need your beauty sleep,” Argo teases. 

The Firbolg must resign himself to their company, because he removes his arm to squint at them and eventually pulls himself upright. 

He notices Fitzroy’s subtle turmoil instantly - ever the empath, Fitzroy thinks. 

“What troubles you?” He’s tired enough that his T’s sound more like D’s and it makes Fitzroy grin shallowly despite himself. 

He pauses to gather his thoughts, but instead of a complete sentence he utters what he’s been thinking the whole time.

“They’re  _ real _ .” 

Argo nudges him with his elbow and a smile. “Well, of course, was that ever in question?” 

“Are you kidding me?” Fitzroy scoffs, “I was a joke at Knight School when I introduced myself. Like the kids were in on some sick joke that I didn’t get.”

The weight of his statement sits on them like stale and heavy air. Fitzroy rarely spoke openly about his time at Clyde’s Night Knight School, and never so bluntly. It was always smothered in between a hollow self congratulatory statement and an insult. Argo remembers suddenly the boy that he walked into on their first day of class. Smaller and less confident, ready to defend himself before any shots were fired.

“Vell, what vill you do?” The Firbolg finally asks. 

Fitzroy sighs, brings a hand up to rub his face.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s who I am anymore.”

For once Argo doesn’t know how to comfort him. So far he’s been the balance of the trio, somehow able to be a voice of reason and humility for them all. But he’s always known who he was, what he was going to do, it’s never been a question for him. 

The same can’t be said about the Firbolg. 

“You do not have to be… anybody.” He starts, “You don’t need to, um,  _ decide _ who you are, because you already have.”

Fitzroy stares at him. No one has ever told him that, not in those words, anyway. Growing up in less than ideal circumstances led him to believe that you  _ needed _ to decide. If you didn't, someone would decide for you and they didn’t always have your best interests at heart. 

All he ever wanted to be was good.

He takes a shuddering breath, the words are out before he can stop them. 

“But if I’m not a magician and I’m not a knight, who am I?” 

The Firbolg pauses to consider him. As if taking apart every component that composes him and designating them a position. If anyone can figure out who he is, surely it is the Firbolg. Never has Fitzroy met someone who knows themselves like the Firbolg.

What the Firbolg says instead surprises him. 

“Vere I am from, my people collect only vat is necessary. Ve prepare only for what ve know, without question of what could happen. Not long before ve met I asked vat could happen, and found the answers frightening.”

The Firbolg paused to think. 

“Ve vould starve. So I prepared for what I did not know, and was sent away.” 

He leans forward to address Fitzroy directly, “I tell you this to say that I know who I am,  _ because _ of vat I did not first know. To become who I am now I had to be someone I vas not.”

For a moment there’s silence. 

“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means,” Fitzroy finally says, voice quiet and considerate. He clears it as if to dispel his own emotions, “can I still be a knight, even after-” he waves his hand to encompass all of the shitshow that is their lives.

The Firbolg smiles and shrugs as if to say “ _ Who knows?” _

It’s Argo’s turn and he smiles as he tells Fitzroy, “No matter what ya choose, if you ever don’t know who you are, just look to your friends. They’re a reflection of you.” 

“And you are a reflection of me… this does not trouble me. You are a good person,” the Firbolg comments. 

A second passes as Fitzroy takes this in, nodding his head to himself as if trying to ingrain it into memory. 

“You’re also CEO of Thundermen Inc,” Argo whispers with barely contained laughter.

The Firbolg jumps to his feet “Ah! But then ve are  _ all  _ the CEO!” 

They spend the rest of their night laughing as if a war isn’t outside their window. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> It's been a hot sec, hope everyone is well! I meant to write this sooner, and then I just didn't lol. 
> 
> I'm really excited with where Travis is taking the series! This wasn't a plot twist I was expecting, but one that I am SO excited about. It completely changes the way Fitzroy's character will develop as the series comes to a close, and I'm just very proud of the story Travis is crafting.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Hope everyone is staying safe and wearing their masks! 
> 
> I've been writing some character study type stuff over Fitzroy in my creative writing class. They're not very long, but I thought I'd post them anyway. I might add onto it with more Fitz stuff, or perhaps Argo or the Firebolg. Who knows! I'm really excited to see where the show goes, I like the direction Travis is taking it!


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